Bastei i Saxiska Schweiz - dramatisk natur i Tyskland

Bastei in Saxon Switzerland is a stunning mountainous area in Germany with a beautiful and famous bridge: the Bastei Bridge. If you like dramatic and beautiful nature, you will love this place. We hiked here, but you can also get here by car or bus.

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Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

Bastei in Saxon Switzerland is best known for its fabulous bridge, which features in many photos of the area. Nearby, you can visit Felsenburg Neurathen (Neurathen Rock Castle).

Bastei in Saxon Switzerland, address 018 24 Lohmen, is located about 20 miles southeast of Dresden in eastern Germany, not far from the border with the Czech Republic.

Start at Camping Königstein

We took our motorhome to Camping Königstein, which we liked very much. Here you stand nicely by the Elbe, and since the campsites are in "terraces", you have a view of the river no matter where you stand.

The staff at the campsite hardly spoke a single word of English, but we still felt welcome and were given everything we needed. The man at reception was very keen for us to understand everything, including how to get by train to visit Bastei, and carefully and slowly showed us the large map of the campsite.

Train journey one station

When it was time to visit Bastei, we walked a short distance to the railway station, and took the train one station to "Kurort Rathen". From the campsite we had received a ticket to use on the train, but we never had to show it.

Spa Rathen

After getting off, we just walked down to the Elbe and took the small ferry across the river for a small fee.

We then strolled through the charming little town of Rathen, following the signs for "Bastei".

Hike to Bastei

The hike up to the Bastei included, of course, a long row of stairs upwards. We just had to start walking. Here and there there were breaks to catch your breath and drink water ...

After a short walk uphill, we were rewarded with stunning views of the Elbe.

Source Bastion

So, we finally got to the Bastei Bridge! We had seen it in pictures before, but seeing it in real life is a completely different matter.

The Bastei rock formation rises 194 metres above the surface of the Elbe and 305 metres above sea level. A first wooden bridge was built in 1824, and in 1851 it was replaced by the current bridge, which is made of sandstone. The bridge is 76.5 metres long, has seven arches and crosses a 40-metre deep gorge.

The bridge offers a fantastic view of the surrounding mountain landscape. Note that this is a popular tourist attraction, so it can be very crowded. When we arrived in the morning, it was pretty quiet, but as time went on, it became more and more crowded.

Biergarten at the Bastei bridge

On the "other side" of the bridge (from the direction we came from) we discovered that there is a large hotel with a spa, several restaurants and also roads and car parks. In other words, it is possible to see the bridge without to do the hike up the mountain that we did.

We sat down for a beer at a biergarten that was nicely located. Here you can also buy soup, sausages or a pretzel, but we chose to have a late lunch down in the spa town of Rathen instead.

Felsenburg Neurathen

We then visited the Felsenburg Neurathen (rock castle Neurathen) which is right next to the Bastei bridge. You have to pay an entrance fee to enter (a few euros per person), but it's definitely worth it!

Here you walk around on small bridges between the rocks, with possibly even better views, both of the landscape and of the Bastei Bridge.

This site was once home to the largest rock fortress in the region. Today there are only small traces of the castle in the form of carved rooms, passages and a water cistern. Here and there are signs telling about the old castle.

Food and ice cream in Rathen

When we were done, we walked back to Rathen, the same way we came up. Going down was of course much easier! In the village we found a restaurant and a nice outdoor seating area. We weren't very impressed with the food in relation to the price, but it was still very nice to have a meal at this point!

We then decided to take another little walk, and on the way there was a good ice cream ...

Walk to "waterfall"

Starting from Rathen you can do many different hikes. A sign said that it would be "15 minutes" to a waterfall. Now it turned out to be much more than 15 minutes, and the waterfall was at the moment completely dried up, but at least we got a nice walk past a lake where it was popular to rent a pedal boat or rowing boat.

On the way back we saw a sign pointing to "Schwedenlöcher Bastei" (roughly "Sweden Hole"), which is supposed to be a nice gorge. So, what is the background to the name? Well, when the village of Rathwelde was destroyed by Swedish soldiers in August 1639, during the Thirty Years' War, the farmers in the area fled to the gorge, where they took shelter.

Return to the campsite

When we felt satisfied for the day, we took the ferry back, and then the train one station, and we were soon "home" at the campsite. A lovely and fantastic day trip! But remember, if you do not want or can not hike the way we did, it is possible to get much closer to Bastei and the Bastei bridge by car.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

In addition to the Bastei, there are other great hikes to discover in Saxon Switzerland, for example starting in Bad Schandau. In Königstein, you won't want to miss the enormous fortress Festung Königstein. We can also recommend a visit to the magnificent city of Dresden. On the Czech side, there are also many great nature experiences in the natural area known as "Bohemian Switzerland".

READ MORE: Saxon Switzerland - day trip from the Czech Republic to Germany
READ MORE: Festung Königstein - mighty fortress in Germany
READ MORE: Things to do in Dresden - 18 sights and experiences
READ MORE: Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic
READ MORE: Pravcicka Brana - the largest sandstone arch in Europe
READ MORE: Tisa in the Czech Republic - filming location for Narnia

Have you visited Bastei in Saxon Switzerland?

Have you visited Bastei in Saxon Switzerland? Do you like this kind of dramatic nature experience?

Facts about Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

District: District of Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge
Federal Republic of Germany: Saxony
Country: Germany
Mountain range: Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Height: 194 metres above the surface of the Elbe and 305 metres above sea level.
Stone: Quaternary sandstone
Basteibron's measurements: 76.5 metres long, with seven arches, over a 40-metre deep ravine.
Read more: You can find more information at Natural area website.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: There are no opening hours for the Bastei Bridge (the area is not fenced). However, Felsenburg Neurathen is fenced and may have opening hours.
Prices: Visiting the Bastei Bridge is free of charge. Visiting Felsenburg Neurathen costs a few euros per person.
Food service: There are several restaurants on the bridge, including the Panorama Restaurant and a beer garden with beer and light snacks.
Hotel: Right next to the bridge is the Berghotel Bastei, with a spa.
Parking: There are two packages, one close by and one a little further away. From the farthest one you have to walk about 3.5 kilometres or take a shuttle bus. Car parking costs €3 for 3 hours or €5.50/day. Motorhome parking costs €11/day. (2022)

Find the Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

Bus: Bus line 237 (Pirna - Bastei - Rathewalde - Hohnstein - Sebnitz) or National Park Hop on Hop off (Stadt Wehlen - Bastei or Königsten - Bad Schandau - Hohnstein - Bastei).
Car: Set the GPS to "01847 Lohmen" or GPS coordinates: latitude 50.9665139 and longitude 14.0657333.
Hiking: Start the hike in the village of Rathen and follow the signs. The hike includes a large number of steps uphill.

6 Comments

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Solan says:

Wow, so many rocky stairs you've climbed...you must have lost weight too, but I'm thinking about kilos....
In the spring we plan to travel to Dresden and the surrounding area. For spa visits and some reasonable hiking. Thought to go along the Elbe on the way home.
Continuing to follow your path to the homeland! 🚐 🌍 👍

16 July 2022 - 8:15

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, sooo many stairs, we promise! However, we "managed" to effectively prevent the decline of kilos, there were many stairs, but also plenty of food and beer ... 😉 So wonderful that you are planning for Dresden! 🙂 Will be a part about Dresden here soon 🙂
  
  16 July 2022 - 11:12
  
bmlarsreseblogg says:

We thought Bastei was a really nice experience, so therefore the nature of the northern Czech Republic attracts us a lot! We just have to wait and see how it goes with covid, war and other things that can affect our travelling...

16 July 2022 - 14:32

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  I'm sure you would like the northern Czech Republic! Well, yes, the world is a bit more uncertain nowadays. As long as it is possible to travel, we are happy to do so! (Not least now when you get used to the fact that it can suddenly be limited ...)
  
  16 July 2022 - 20:17
  
BP says:

How much you have walked during your long journey in Germany and the Czech Republic. Guess you've gained a lot of new muscles that you didn't know existed.
I thought you were afraid of heights Helena. Walking on these small bridges - it was well done! Oh the stone formations are so majestic:-)

16 July 2022 - 18:01

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yes, a lot of training pain, haha! And yes, I am very afraid of heights, but here it actually went quite well (although I may not have hung out over the edges directly ...). Do not really know why, but generally think that tall houses feel worse than nature in some way ... 😉.
  
  16 July 2022 - 20:19

Bastei in Saxon Switzerland - dramatic nature in Germany

Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

Start at Camping Königstein

Train journey one station

Spa Rathen

Hike to Bastei

Source Bastion

Biergarten at the Bastei bridge

Felsenburg Neurathen

Food and ice cream in Rathen

Walk to "waterfall"

Return to the campsite

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Have you visited Bastei in Saxon Switzerland?

Facts about Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

Services and practical information

Find the Bastei in Saxon Switzerland

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6 Comments

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